Severing mechanism for aerial torpedoes.



SEVERING HECHA (Application Bled Ma.:-Y 17, 1.900.)

A Patented June n, |901. R. TunRAs.

NISM .FOR AERIAL TOBPEDOES.

2 Sheets*$heet l.

No. 676,345. Patented lune u, |901.

n. ToRnAs.

SEVERING MECHANISM FOR AERIAL TORPEDOES.

(Application filed-Mar.` 17, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheeis-Sheet 2.

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' Vtothe art to which it appertains to make and FFICE.

ROSENDO TORRAS, OF BRUNSWICK, GEORGIA.

SEVERING MECHANISVI FOR AERIAL TORPEDOES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 676,345, dated June 11, 1901.

Application filed March 17,1900. Serial No. 9.092. (No model.)

' To all whom t nza/y concern:

Beit known that I, ROSENDO TORRAS, a subject of the King of Spain,residing at Bruns wick, in the county of Glynn and State of Georgia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Implements ofWarfare; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin use the same. Y

The object is in a simple and highly-efficient manner to effect at apredetermined time or times overhead discharge of shells, pombs, orother explosive missiles of warare.

The device of the present invention is designed to be attached to' aballoon which will be set free at the time the shell-releasing mechanismis set, and the direction of the wind, its velocity, and the distancefrom the point where the balloon is freed to the objective point beingknown the shells maybe released with great accuracy of timing, thus toeffect thoroughly practical results from the device.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, andin which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, I haveillustrated two forms of embodiment of my invention, it being understoodthat other forms of embodiment thereof may be employed withoutdepartingv from the spirit of the same, and in these,drawings-d Figure lis a view in elevation. exhibiting a form of device for transporting andeffecting release of a single shell. Fig. 2 is a detached detail view ofthe clock, the face being removed to display the mechanism for effectingrelease of the shell. Fig. 3 is a View in side elevation exhibiting aportion of the releasing mechanism, the position of the parts of theshell-releasing mechanism when holding a shell being shown in full linesand their released position being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 3d isa detached detail view showing more clearly the stop and start handshown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Fig. t is also a view in elevationexhibiting a form of device for transporting a plurality of shells andthe means for effecting release thereof. Fig. 5 is a transversesectional view of the device illushibiting the locked position of themechany ism which controls the discharge of the shellcontaining holders.y

Referring to the drawings and to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 thereof, A designatesan ordinary clock of the patent-lever type. As all the mechanism back ofthe plate a is of the usual construction, it is not deemed necessary toillustrate it. Upon the center or hour arbor a2, back of the dial 0,3,is firmly secured a snail a4, which makes a complete revolution in onehour, the dial being laid off into sixty divisions of one minute each, asingle hand or pointer a5 being secured to the arbor d2 to indicate thetime. The hand may be set from the back of the clock, as usual in clocksof this character. Pivoted to one side of the snail is atrigger-releasing lever a, carrying a pallet or stud a7 to bear upon theperiphery of the snail, a spring ons (attached at one end to the plateand at the other end to the said lever) operating to keep the stud inconstant contact With the periphery of the snail. Oonnected with thefree end of the lever is one end of a wire or rod a, the other end ofwhich is attached to a trigger d10, working under a plate or guide a,which latter is carried by a support cl2, secured to the clock-casing.The lower portion of this support is preferably curved to form anoffset, as shown at cl3, and at its lower end has hinged to it a plateam, constituting a sear, the upper end of the latter to be engaged bythe trigger when the apparatus is set, as shown in Fig. 2. The offset isdesigned to be engaged bya bail l), carrying the shell B. The clock-caseis also provided With a bail C015, by Which the device may be suspendedfrom a balloon. (Not shown.) The operation of'this form of device is asfollows: Suppose it be desired to drop a shell in the camp of an enemyand by measuring the distance and knowing the velocity anddirection ofthe Wind it is found that it will Vtake one minute for the balloon toreach the olojective point. In this event the bail of the bomb will behookedonto the offset cl3 and the sear will be folded back against thesup- IOO 'from dropping down ward.

port, as shown in Fig. 3, and in the act of setting the hand to bring itto 59 on the dial the trigger will be projected over the upper end ofthe scar and will thus hold the sear The balloon. is now released, carebeing observed to see that the hand or pointer is exactly at 50, andassoon as the snail is moved a sufficient distance to release the palletfrom the toe of the snail the lever a@ will by the spring as be drawnupward, thereby withdrawing the trigger from contact with the sear andallowing the latter to drop downward, and thus release the bomb.

It is to be understood that the balloon employed may be a captiveballoon, so that after the bomb has been releasedY it may be returned tothe place of starting and again employed.

Where it is desired to discharge a plurality of bombs at intervals, theform of device shown in Figs. 4E and 5 is employed. The clockwork ofthis form is the same as that shown in connection with Fig. l, exceptthat instead of the snail a a worm c is secured to the center arbor, theworm to engage with a worm-wheel c2, carried by an arbor c3, working insuitable bearings secured to the plate a. The lower end of the arbor c3carries a gear-wheel c4, which meshes with a similar gear c5, carried bya rod c6, whereon are arranged a plurality of disks c7, each having arecess c7 in its periphery, as shown in Figs. 5 and 8. The timing of theworm and wormwheel and the proportion between the gears c4 and c5 aresuch as to cause the rod c6 to make, say, one complete revolution in aminute, or the time may be increased or diminished at will. The clock iscarried by a frame C, preferably a rectangular structure, provided onone side with a plurality of openings cs, (shown in Fig. 4,)corresponding in number to that of the bomb or shell holders that willbe carried, and on the opposite side with a slot e9, by which to permitinsertion of the bomb-holders within the frame C, as will presentlyappear. The shell or bomb holders D referred to consist each of twosemispherical sections, one of which is provided on opposite sides withprojections CZ, and within this holder are placed the shells or bombs,which may be of any size and of any number desired, preferably a smallexplosive capped bomb. Vhen the holders are in position within theframe, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. et, one of the projections dwill engage with one of the openings e8 in the side of the frame and theother projection will extend through the slot c. As a means forsupporting the holders in position I employ for each bomb a lever cw,pivoted to the outside of the casing at cu, as shown in Fig. 5, the longarm of this lever being in engagement with the upper surface of one ofthe disks c7. The short arm of the lever projects beyond the side of theframe and is engaged by the long arm of a second lever cl2, Figs. 4 and5, pivoted to the frame, as shown at cl3, the short arm of this leverbeing in engagement with one of the projections d of the bomb-holder, asshown in Fig. et. By the employment of these two levers the bulk of theweight is supported by the lever cl2, so that but slight pressure isimparted from the lever 010 to the disk. This same arrangement isadopted throughout the device no matter how many shell-holders may bearranged within the frame. The disks cT are so timed with relation toeach other that the lowest shell-holder will be first discharged, thenthe next succeeding one above it, and so on. The frame C is suitablysecured to the balloon and is adapted for reuse should the latter be acaptive balloon, as before stated. The operation of this form of deviceis as follows: The frame being iilled with bombholders and the balloonready to be set free, the distance of the objective point from theballoon being known, the hand of the clock is set so as to bring thelowest disk c7 of the series in position to be released at thepredetermined time, this movement automatically effecting setting of theremaining disks, so that if it is desired that the bomb-holders bereleased at a minute apart after the iirst bomb has been discharged thisresult will be effected. X'Vhen the recess in the lowest disk: c7 comesover the lever 010, the latter, from the weight of the bomb, will bereleased, and the holder will thus be free to drop, the same resultoccurring in the successive discharges of the holders.

It will be observed that in the result effected the recessed disks ofthe device shown in Fig. 4 are the exact counterpart in operation of thesnail, (shown in Fig. 1,) asin both cases the release of the bomb iseffected thereby.

As a means for preventing the clock mechanism from running when notnecessary a stop mechanism is provided, (shown in Fig 3%) consisting ofa hand or pointer al, arranged on' top of the clock-casing and adaptedto be moved over a plate bearing the words Stop and Start, and an arm0,17, carried by the hand and to be moved into engagement with one ofthe gear-wheels of the clock mechan ism, as shown in Fig. 2.

The bail Z9 is by preference provided with arms b2, (one only beingshown,) which operate to hold the bail from swinging or, in other words,to cause it to hang steady. To facilitate detachment of the bail fromthe hanger, the bail may be provided with rollers b3, which will slideupon the hanger when the trigger is released, and thus insure properrelease of the bomb.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. A device of the character specified, comprising a clock mechanism, asupport depending from the casing thereof, a plate hinged at its lowerend to the support and constituting a scar, a trigger to be engaged bythe scar, and a lever connected with the trigger, the

IOO

IIS

lever enacting with releasing mechanism in the clock, whereby, atpredetermined times, its trigger will be released, substantially asdescribed.

2. A device of the character specified, comprising a clock mechanism, aplate depending from the casing thereof and operating to sup port ashell or bomb, a sear, and a trigger adapted, at a predetermined time,or at predetermined times, through clock mechanism, to release the sear,whereby to permit attachment to the shell, substantially as described.

3. A device of the character specified, compricing a clock mechanism, asupport for an explosive shell or bomb, locking devices upon the supportfor securing the shell thereto, and means connecting the locking devicesand the clock mechanism for positively actuating the former from thelatter at a predetermined ROSENDO TORRAS.

lVitnesses:

EUGENE BROOKS, ROLLING WHITFIELD.

